Love and Loss
by Nemorian
Summary: One little act can affect countless lives, changing and even ending them. Thomas and Amata find themselves forced to survive in the wasteland because of such an event... the simple opening of a door.
1. The Great Escape

Thomas stared up at the drab, steel ceiling. He should have known faking sickness wouldn't work on his Father, but felt he had to try. He honestly did feel like he was going to puke, but that was just nerves. Although, now that he thought about it, blowing chunks all over Doctor Dad's shoes might have been convincing. Too late now though.

His thoughts drifted to the GOAT, the test he was supposed to take today. The one that would stick him in whatever role he was supposed to fill in the vault. He hadn't thought much of it, to be honest. Until Butch suggested he might end up in waste management or something. Then he started to worry. Really worry. Getting stuck shoveling shit for the rest of his life? The thought was horrifying. Damn Butch.

A voice came down the corridor. "What'sa matter? Daddy's girl gonna cry?"

Thomas turned, noticing Butch and his cronies surrounding and taunting Amata. He glared at the group, who hadn't noticed him. They were always picking on Amata, just for being the Overseer's daughter. While Thomas might not have had a good opinion about the Overseer after he overheard a certain comment the jerk had made to one of the security personnel after departing his tenth birthday party, he liked Amata. You can't help who your parents are. This was obviously too complex for a peon like Butch to understand though.

Thomas listened to the taunts thrown out by Butch for the couple seconds it took to approach them, trying not to lose his temper on the way. "Butch."

Butch turned his gaze from Amata to Thomas, and a sneer crossed his face. "What the hell do you want?"

The tone of his voice, the look on his face, or the fact that Amata had been on the receiving end of his crap for years... Thomas wasn't sure which it was, but something made him snap. His fist connected with Butch's face before anyone knew it was coming.

Wally Mack, the brighter of Butch's minions, was the first to react. He rushed forward and Thomas moved to the side. He dodged the first swing, countering with a kick and driving his heel into Wally's ribs. He let out a cry of pain, but Thomas didn't think that would be enough to stop him after having fought with the trio countless times before. He grabbed Wally by his short hair with one hand, and pushed his shoulder with the other. Once he was facing the wall, Thomas tightened his grip and slammed Wally's forehead against it. He let out a weak groan and slumped onto the floor when Thomas released him.

By then Butch had recovered from the sucker punch and Paul had gotten what few brain cells he had to fire up. They both charged, but Paul obviously wasn't watching where he was going and ran right into Butch during his dash at Thomas. They both stumbled and Thomas took the opportunity to drive his fist into Paul's gut. He dropped to his knees, coughing. In one swift movement, Thomas brought his elbow down hard on Paul's head, and he dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Bastard!" Butch snapped, swinging at Thomas, who quickly moved away from him. Butch didn't follow right away, he reached into his jacket and produced a glimmering silver object. There was a click as the switchblade's point popped out. "You're dead meat now."

"Three on one, and now you're pulling a knife? You really don't know what a fair fight is, do you?" Thomas asked with a smirk.

Butch's expression turned vicious. He was about to make a lunge at Thomas when Amata's voice rang out. "NO!"

Butch's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, releasing a breathless scream of agony. He dropped his knife, reaching down to his groin, where the toe of Amata's shoe was planted firmly between his legs. She pulled her foot free and took an uneasy step back, staring down at Butch as he cradled his, most likely broken, jewels. He toppled sideways onto the floor, twitching.

Thomas just gave her a thumbs up and smiled. "Great shot, Amata! A bit of a low blow, but he had it coming."

Amata looked from Butch to Thomas, clearly shocked at what she had done. "I... I..." She stuttered.

"Made sure a moron couldn't reproduce. On behalf of the entire Vault, I thank you." He said, stepping over Butch and giving her a pat on the shoulder. "They didn't hurt you, right? If they did, I can give Butch a kick to the head he uses less."

"N-no... I'm fine... I just didn't think I could-" She began, but Thomas interrupted her.

"Don't worry about it." He put his arm around her shoulders, leading her down the corridor to the exam room. "We've got a GOAT to take. If your old man gives you any crap about attacking Butch, just tell him I did it. He'd buy that."

She didn't answer, still a bit shaken. Though the mention of the GOAT made her stand a little straighter. Worry about the important things first. That's what she always did.

Thomas, however, usually tried to forget the important things that worried him. And the mention of the exam brought the urge to puke back in full force... but he couldn't, no, he _wouldn't_ do that with Amata right next to him. After taking out three, well... two, Tunnel Snakes without a care and then letting her think a stupid test could get the better of him? Not a chance. His vanity was too stubborn for that.

Of course, no matter how brave a face he put on for her, the thought of the GOAT was making him scream on the inside.

---

Three years passed. Thomas, while not getting stuck in waste management like Butch suggested he would, ended up somewhere that wasn't much better. Being the Vault fry cook wasn't exactly a glamorous job, but he was good at it. Which meant the GOAT wasn't a total crock... even though he would never admit it. When not stuck behind a stove, he spent his time skimming the two issues of Pugilism Illustrated he had come across a long time ago, and practicing his fighting somewhere out of sight. Which is why Butch still wondered why he kept getting his ass handed to him by a cook.

He also saw Amata almost every day, even if it was only for a few minutes. The Overseer had been keeping her busy, probably preparing her to take over the Vault when he died. Which, in Thomas' opinion, was a time too far off. On the few occasions he and Amata managed to get together for an hour or two, they talked about everything like the best of friends. Neither realized they were the only social outlet the other had. Both of their Fathers were obsessed with work, and most of the other Vault residents never got too friendly with them. Amata because she was the Overseer's daughter, and Thomas for some reason he didn't understand.

It was a dreary lifestyle. At least it was... until all hell broke loose.

---

"Wake up! Come on, Thomas! Get your lazy butt out of bed!" Amata yelled, pulling Thomas up by the front of his Vault jumpsuit and shaking him.

He let out a yawn, looking up at her with blurry eyes. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. "Amata?" He leaned forward, hugging her around the waist and pressing the side of his face against her stomach. "Dreams do come true." He mumbled, still mostly asleep.

She let out a groan of frustration, grabbed ahold of his shoulders and pulled him upright with some difficulty. "Would you wake up and be serious?!"

Thomas stared at her, his eyes only half open. "This early, I think I can only manage one." He muttered tiredly. "Why? What's wrong?"

"It's your Dad, he's gone!"

"Gone?" Thomas' eyes opened fully at that. "What do you mean, gone?"

"What does gone usually mean, genius?" She said shortly. "He left the Vault, and now my Dad has his men looking for you!"

"Me? Why?"

"He thinks you know something, that's why! He thought Jonas did too, and my Father's men... they... they... oh God-" She took a few deep breaths, doing her best not to cry.

As much as he couldn't believe it, he knew what she was trying to say. Jonas was dead. Thomas swallowed hard, trying to take it all in. "Are you okay?"

She nodded weakly. "I'll be fine... but you have to get out of here. Vault security is coming for you, they could be here any second!"

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?" Thomas asked, starting to panic. "If the whole Vault is after me, the only place I'd be safe is-" He froze, figuring out the answer to his own question.

Amata confirmed it. "Outside. You have to escape the Vault like your Dad. I can help you... I know a way to the entrance, but you're going to have to trust me."

"Trust you with my life?" He asked, finally standing up. "You're the only person in this place I would."

She gave him a small smile, and glanced at the door. "All right, you have to get to my Father's office. There's a passage out there, you'll have to pick the lock and hack into his terminal, but that shouldn't be too hard. I've done it a few times with these." She handed Thomas a few bobby pins, before removing a pistol from inside her jumpsuit. "I have this too, it's my Father's. I thought you could use it... just in case."

Thomas hesitated, looking at it. He never really liked guns. Something bad always seemed to happen when he was holding one ever since his tenth birthday, when Jonas and good ol' Doctor Dad presented him with a BB Gun. With which he somehow managed to accidentally shoot poor Jonas in the left cheek... luckily it wasn't the one on his face, but he wasn't able to sit comfortably for a couple days. And that was just a BB Gun... the thought of what could happen if he was holding a 10mm was more than a little scary.

"You hang onto it. I'm not a very good shot." He said quickly. "I'd rather not give them a reason to start pulling guns either."

"I suppose you're right." She slid the pistol back into her jumpsuit, walking over to the door. "I'll meet you at the entrance if I can, but don't try to wait for me." She gave the path outside a quick glance and ran out.

Thomas was still trying to get his thoughts straight. He did his best to focus on two main goals. Get to the Overseer's office, get the hell out. Easier said than done.

He sighed, grabbing the baseball bat leaning against his desk, along with the BB Gun hidden behind it, if only for sentimental reasons. He also grabbed a few stimpacks from the first aid kit Doctor Dad had put up in the room and kept well-stocked.

Strapping the gun to his back and taking the bat tightly in both hands, he didn't even bother to look when he charged out of the room. A security officer was standing at the end of the tunnel, but was distracted by an onslaught of radroaches. Thomas welcomed the distraction, jumping over one of the roaches and darting around the corner, leaving the officer to deal with the ugly bugs.

He had only gone a few more steps when someone rounded a corner he was coming up to. He reacted on instinct, swinging the bat as hard as he could at the person's head. There was a sickening crack as it connected with their jaw, and their head had twisted almost completely backwards by the time they had hit the floor.

Thomas stared down in shock. He had only meant to knock out any security he came across. With the person's head in that position it was clear they weren't unconscious, they were dead. They also weren't one of the Overseer's goons.

"Butch?" Thomas muttered weakly, crouching down to check for a pulse even though he was sure he wouldn't find one. He swore, lingering over Butch's corpse. He knew he had to keep moving. Run now, regret later. Thinking it over of a second, he reached into Butch's jacket, feeling around for the pocket and taking the switchblade inside it. He stuffed the knife into the right pocket of his jumpsuit and started running again. He had to get out before someone else ended up dead.

Up a flight of stairs and past the medical bay, he heard shouts and a burst of flame behind him as he entered the Atrium, probably more people doing battle with radroaches. It suited him just fine, less chance of him hurting someone else. He passed by the Holdens, who were hiding behind a support beam and talking softly to each other, without a thought. As long as they weren't after him, he didn't care. He just kept running, under a door being held open by a locker. He didn't stop to wonder how it got there, or think about the gunfire that echoed up the stairs behind him.

Climbing to the second floor of the Atrium, he was slowed down by a handful of radroaches. A few swings of his bat crushed them. and he kept moving. He dashed under the door marked "ADMIN", ignoring the man pounding on a glass window and yelling for guards. He cast a glance at a corpse laying by a toolbox. Thomas recognized the man from when he worked at the Vault restaurant, Floyd Lewis, an engineer. Always ordered a plain burger... no pickles, no condiments... hell, not even a bun. The guy was an oddball... but a nice oddball. He didn't deserve to die. Neither did Butch. Or Jonas. Or anyone else that got caught up in all this shit the Overseer started just because Thomas' Father left the Vault. It was insanity.

He looked ahead and saw someone turn into the doorway he was headed to. He skidded to a halt instead of swinging wildly this time, which was a mistake. It was Chief Hannon, who grabbed his baton and charged without hesitation. He swung at Thomas, who barely managed to block it with his bat. Along with the two more that followed.

Thomas listened to the clatter of their weapons connecting, trying to figure out what to do. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want anyone else to die... but the chief wasn't giving him many options. Running wouldn't do any good, so he had to try and stop Hannon without killing him.

Thomas lowered his bat, hoping to try and talk his way out, but Hannon took the drop in defense to make a dive at Thomas' head. He ducked, the baton nicking the top of his head, and made a desperate swing at Hannon's leg. The snap of bone as Hannon's left kneecap started to bend backwards, coupled with his agonized screaming, was probably a good sign that he'd be out of the fight for a while. Thomas ran past as Hannon dropped to the floor, clutching his knee and screaming curses at the pain and Thomas.

---

He turned into the next hall and saw a clear path between him and the Overseer's room. He was going to make it without any more trouble... at least, that's what he thought before he heard Amata cry out.

"I don't know anything!"

Thomas stopped, almost falling on his face as he turned to the window he was passing. The prison. Amata was sitting in a chair, staring at the ground. He was being interrogated by a security guard and her Father.

"Now Amata, I don't enjoy this one bit, but I know you went to warn him." The Overseer said sternly. "Now tell me, where is he?"

"I don't know!" She repeated.

The Overseer gave the guard a slight nod, which must have been the signal to strike Amata across the face. She put her hand to her cheek, looking from the guard to her Father, horrified.

"Tell me where the traitor is. Now." The Overseer said. He voice was calm and stern, but Thomas thought there was something else mixed into the tone as well. Something that scared him. It obviously scared Amata too, since he noticed her hand twitching occasionally. Thomas knew immediately what she was thinking. He'd be thinking the same in her position... but he couldn't let it happen.

He rushed over to the door, slamming his hand down on the switch and ducking inside before the door was even fully open. Taking the same method as with Hannon, he smashed the bat into the guard's right leg, and added a blow to the head for good measure. He never even got the chance to turn around. The Overseer yelled something, backing away, and Amata looked at Thomas in shock.

"I told you to run, you idiot!" She said in a slightly panicked voice, but a small smile crossed her face.

He smirked at her. "You're welcome."

The crack of a gunshot filled the room and Thomas cried out, dropping his bat and stumbling a couple steps away from Amata. He covered his right forearm with his left hand where blood was beginning to stain the sleeve of his jumpsuit, glaring at the Overseer, who was aiming a gun at his head.

"What good fortune." He said, grinning. "You can go, Amata, I have half of what I want now."

Amata didn't move. "What... are you going to do?" She asked weakly.

"Get some information out of this one. Like, what that traitor James was up to. You know that one, I'm sure, Thomas."

"How the hell should I know?" Thomas asked.

A moment of silence, followed by another gunshot as the Overseer shifted his aim to Thomas' left leg was the only reply his got. Amata screamed as Thomas dropped to one knee, moving his hand from his previous wound to the new one.

"Father, stop!" Amata cried.

"It's what must be done in negotiations with traitors, Amata. Now be silent or leave." The Overseer said coldly. "Now are you going to answer me?"

"Go to hell, you psychopath." Thomas spat.

Another gunshot, this time the bullet tearing through his right thigh. Thomas dropped onto his side, crying out in pain. Amata stared at Thomas in silence, trembling. The Overseer continued to grin, clearly not at all troubled about what he was doing.

"I've had quite enough of this, so are you going to tell me what I want to know, or should I just end half my problems right now?" The Overseer asked, his voice low and threatening.

Thomas knew it wasn't just a threat, though. It was a promise. If he refused to tell the Overseer anything, he'd die right there... but he couldn't tell him anything. He didn't have the answers the lunatic wanted. So he rested his head on the steel floor and said nothing. He doubted he could manage more than a groan with as much pain as he was in anyway.

The Overseer just shrugged. "Have it your way."

Thomas closed his eyes and flinched at the sound of one, final shot. He didn't feel the bullet strike. His limbs continued to throb, so he knew he wasn't dead yet. Was it really just an empty threat after all?

He opened his eyes, and saw the Overseer. He was slumped against the wall, blood staining the chest of his jumpsuit and trickling out of the side of his mouth. Amata was crouched next to him, tears in her eyes and a smoking pistol in her hand.

"D-Dad... no... I wasn't trying to-" She stuttered, starting to sob.

The Overseer slowly turned, looked up at her and opened his mouth to speak. A gurgle and a brief rush of blood was all that came out. His head went limp, and he slid silently down the wall until he laid on his side, an empty expression in his eyes.

Thomas looked away, slowly reaching into his bloodied jumpsuit and groping around to find one of the stimpacks he had taken from his room. His fingers wrapped around a narrow cylinder and he flicked the cover off, thrusting the needle into his wounded arm. The pain lessened and the bleeding stopped. He grabbed two more and did the same with each of his legs. It made it easier to move, but his limbs still ached. The only small relief he had was that all three bullets had passed cleanly through, so he didn't need to worry about digging any out.

He unsteadily got to his feet, placing his hand on the wall for support. Amata was still by her Father's corpse, sobbing and shaking. Thomas bit his lip. What could he say? Thanks for wasting your Dad so he wouldn't kill me? That would _really_ brighten her mood.

Thomas limped over to them, unnoticed by Amata as he dug through the Overseer's pockets and found both a key and terminal password. He pocketed them, picking up the gun the Overseer had been using and placing a hand on Amata's shoulder, making her jump. She looked at him with teary, reddened eyes, unable to speak.

Only two words came to Thomas' mind. "I'm sorry." He muttered. He was sorry. Sorry her Father had gone nuts... sorry for her that he was dead,.. sorry that she was the one that did him in... sorry his own Father had started such chaos in the first place... and especially sorry that he couldn't stay to give her a shoulder to cry on. He knew he had to keep going before more security showed up and they were in even more trouble. It killed him inside, but he did it, slowly standing up and heading to the door, leaving Amata to mourn. Alone.

He never even noticed Chief Hannon sitting silently on the floor outside as he left the prison and made his was to the Overseer's quarters.

---

Thomas was greeted with another corpse as he entered the room. Jonas was on his back, his face bloody and bruised, staring up at the ceiling. Thomas stopped to close his old friend's eyes and check his pockets. He found a recording with his name written on it, though barely visible through the blood that had been smudged onto it. He dropped it into his pocket and went to unlock the Overseer's office door.

It opened thanks to the key he got from the Overseer's corpse, and Thomas hurried over to the terminal, glancing at the password. He felt something ache as he read it, but it wasn't the holes in his limbs. He quickly punched it in and the desk in the middle of the room lifted away, revealing a passage underneath it. He darted down it as fast as he could, not stopping until the passage came to an end at a room with a huge, circular door.

Thomas stared, unable to believe that his Father, or anyone else, could open it. He walked around a railing that kept people from falling into the lower path that led to the door, coming to a stop at some kind of lever. He placed his hand on the switch, took a deep breath, and pulled it down. Lights flashed and a warning siren blared over the sound of grinding gears and steam. A mechanical arm, or something, attached itself to the door and pulled it back. There was a loud clang at it stopped, and rolled off to the right, revealing the cave on the other side.

"It... it actually opened..." A voice beside him said.

Thomas stumbled to the side in surprise, not having heard Amata come up next to him. "Yeah." He said after a moment.

They both looked at the tunnel out. Until the banging on the door behind them started. "Damn it, open the door before it's too late!" Someone on the other side shouted.

Amata turned, giving Thomas and urgent push toward the exit. "Hurry and go, before they get though!"

"What about you?" He argued. "Your Father, he-"

"He's gone... and someone has to take over his position. I think I'm the only one that was being trained for it... so... I have to stay. I have to help this madness our Fathers started end!" She said, her voice shaken but determined.

Thomas knew the look in her eyes. Nothing would change her mind. He smiled weakly, knowing she would do he damnedest no matter what. For the good of the Vault. Without thinking about it, he stepped forward and hugged her. "Take care of yourself, Amata."

She hesitated a moment, taken off guard, but returned the hug. "You too, Thomas."

The door slammed open and they broke apart, Thomas charging for the open door. He was halfway to freedom when one of the guards caught his attention.

"There's the little bitch the Chief said killed the Overseer! Get her!"

Thomas spun around just as one of the two officers in the room struck Amata in the back of the head with his baton and she dropped, tumbling down the short staircase and landing in a heap. The other guard jumped over Amata's body and kept running at Thomas, who quickly slid open a panel on the bottom of his Pip-Boy 300 and pushed the button underneath it.

There was a sharp stab on his arm under the Pip-Boy, and his body began to tingle. Everything around him slowed to a crawl as he took the pistol off his belt and took aim at the guard coming at him. Thomas fired off three shots at the closer guard, shattering the glass front of the riot helmet with the second and planting the third right between his eyes.

Thomas' shoulders drooped and he almost fell over when the rush wore off. VATS wasn't something he was used to. It was like a super-powered adrenaline rush on command, along with the sudden exhaustion when it wore off if you weren't used to it. He raised his arm and fired the rest of his clip at the other guard, hitting him three times in the torso and once in the leg, the other bullets digging uselessly into the wall behind him.

Thomas stuck the pistol back on his belt when the guard toppled, and hurried over to Amata. She was out cold, but breathing. He struggled to pick her up, looking around and wondering what to do. They knew she had been the one to kill her Father, so if she stayed she might end up being executed by some crazy member of security, and definitely not allowed to become the new Overseer.

He looked at the passage out. If he took her with him, she'd probably be in just as much danger... but he'd have a chance to protect her. If she didn't hate him for doing it. He looked down at Amata's pale face, her eyes still wet from tears and her left hand still somehow clenched around her Father's gun. He cursed both of their Fathers for screwing their lives up because of something that seemed so idiotic to him.

Amata opened her eyes slightly, mumbled something, and lost consciousness again. Thomas waited to see if she'd wake up again, sighed after a minute or so, and made his decision.

---

The light outside hurt his eyes, but he figured he should've expected that. It was a hell of a lot brighter out here. And bigger. And dustier. He coughed, still trying to get used to the new smells. He had come out by a sign that read "Scenic Overlook", and he understood why. The remnants of what might have been a town were to the left, a large structure was off to his right, and a few connected beams ran along almost behind where he had come out. Directly below him was some sort of path, a broken machine resting to the side of it. The land stretched out into the distance, further than he could see.

After spending his life in a cramped Vault, the seemingly endless vista was amazing. Wasteland or not, he couldn't help smiling at the thought of seeing what was out there, far from the dull life back in 101. He inhaled the dry, dusty air... and choked. He was still coughing when something struck his back.

"I told you not to do that." Amata sighed, giving Thomas another firm pat on the back. "The air's a lot different out here."

Thomas grinned at her. It was hell trying to explain why he brought her outside, and took the better part of two hours, but she seemed to have accepted it. The door sealed behind them, so it's not like she could go back anyway. Even if it was selfish to think, he was glad she couldn't go back. Being stuck out in the wasteland on his own, quite honestly, scared the hell out of him. At least with Amata at his side he'd have some courage... or they could just be scared together.

"Oh stop smiling... this isn't the day for it." She mumbled, walking over to the edge of the cliff and sitting down. "After everything that happened..."

Thomas joined her, doing his best to forget about what had happened during their escape from the Vault. He didn't think it was possible though. Especially not for Amata. He glanced over at her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "It's behind us, locked away. Out here... it's like it never happened."

"But it DID happen! Everyone, my Father..." She trailed off, tears rolling down her face again.

Thomas closed his eyes, pulling her closer. "I know. I'm sorry." He mumbled, still at a loss for words. He didn't think any existed for a situation like this. All he could think to do was be there.

They sat in silence, the death and chaos of the Vault behind them... but it was nothing compared to what lay in wait for them in the wasteland.


	2. Welcome To Megaton

Thomas sat on one of the broken machines along the road, playing with the dials on his Pip-Boy 3000. He was trying to find something to listen to, since the Vault PA was out of range now. "There has to be something... come on." He muttered, raising it up to his ear and trying to hear whatever might be behind the static. So far, all he had found was even more static.

Amata sighed, sitting on the ground next to one of the ruined buildings that remained of the town. They were in a wasteland, with no food or water, very little ammunition and god knows what sort of radiation-created creatures lying in wait for someone with no experience in the wilderness for lunch... and instead of survival Thomas was focus on his damned Pip-Boy! She knew he didn't think ahead much, but the trouble they were in now should have been more important than music!

"No good. I can't find anything that... wait..." The crackling of his Pip-Boy silenced and a calm, professional voice replaced it.

_"I'm President John Henry Eden, and you're listening to Enclave Radio..."_

Thomas let out a laugh, punching the button to memorize the station and grinning at Amata. "I knew it! I knew there had to be people left! We're not alone out here!"

Amata stared at him for a moment, then remembered he didn't know anything about the outside apart from what they were told in class, which was next to nothing. At least not about the current state of things. "Of course we're not, there are people left... that's why I'm so worried."

Thomas blinked, his smile vanishing. "You knew...?"

"I told you I broke into my Father's office before, why do you think I did it?"

"Uh..." He leaned back, looking at the sky. Even though he had stared at it for an hour earlier and there were plenty of other things to see out here, he couldn't help being fascinated by the endless blue. It almost made him forget what he was trying to think of. "To be a rebel?"

Amata sighed. "I hacked into his terminal and looked around for information. I found out about the vault door, it has been opened before. Long before your Dad left. I didn't find out a lot, but I did read some things about giant ants and a group of people called raiders, but most important was a settlement they had contact with a long time ago."

Thomas' head jerked back down at that. "You mean like a town? Where?"

"I don't remember... it was a long time ago when I read it. There's no telling if it's even still around. I think the name was something like... Meta...Mera..."

"Megaton?" He offered.

"Yeah, that's it!" Amata said. "Wait, how did-"

He nodded to something behind her, and she turned to look. It took her a few seconds to notice the rusty sheet of metal with "Megaton" written in fading yellow paint. An arrow pointed off to the right next to it.

"Should we see if it's still there?" Thomas asked.

She nodded. "The people weren't hostile last time they sent a group to it, I only hope that's still true."

"Yeah." He glanced at his Pip-Boy and turned off the radio, which was in the middle of a song. "I wonder how people get by out here... in the way of food, I mean."

"The notes didn't cover that, but I doubt it's pleasant."

xxx

The duo followed the path the arrow pointed to, keeping an eye out of the giant ants Amata had mentioned. The steaming puddle of brown ooze they passed was the most threatening thing they saw, and the smell was ten times worse than it looked. Picking up the pace, they caught sight of two towering pieces of metal on each side of what looked like a gate. Just above the gate was a large, spinning object that reminded Thomas of a fan, since it seemed to be giving off a breeze. As they approached, a silhouette appeared on a platform sticking out just above the spinning thing.

"Hey there!" Someone called out. "I'll be damned, a couple of Vault kids? How long you two been out in the wastes?"

Amata squinted up at the man, she could tell that much from his voice, but not much else. It looked like he had a long stick with him, but she guessed it must have been a gun. Before she could ask why he was so interested, Thomas spoke up.

"Three or four hours, I think."

The man on the platform laughed. "You two are lucky then. Raiders would have had a lot of fun with you if you'd run into them first, hold on a second." He said, moving out of sight.

Amata gave Thomas an annoyed look. "You really shouldn't trust people out here like that, there's no telling who could be dangerous."

"I don't think that-" A whirring interrupted him, and the fan-like machine above the gate began to speed up. It built to a roar, the wind blowing from it blasting up a torrent of dirt and almost knocking both of them over. Although he could barely see it from all the filth in the air, the gate started to rise. Thomas blindly reached for Amata, grabbing her arm and pulling her along as he dashed through the gate and away from the machine-made sandstorm.

"I'm never going to be able to get that taste out of my mouth." Amata coughed, trying to wipe some of the dirt off her face.

Thomas spat some of the soil out, wishing he'd remembered to grab his toothbrush on the way out of the Vault. "I know what you mean."

"I see Stockholm's still giving newcomers that windswept look." Someone laughed.

Thomas and Amata both jumped back a little, taking note of the arrival. It was a man with dark skin and a rough beard, dressed in an outfit that reminded Thomas of when Brotch covered the "wild west" in history class.

"Who are you...?" Amata asked, taking another step back.

"Lucas Simms, mayor and sheriff of Megaton. What are..." He trailed off as Thomas approached, giving the teen a suspicious look.

Thomas didn't notice, his eyes were fixed on Simms' hat.

"Can I help you, boy?" Simms asked, his tone dangerous.

"Yeah, where can I get a hat like that? It's so cool!" Thomas said enthusiastically.

Simms blinked at him and Amata groaned. "For God's sake, Thomas..."

"What? Come on, if we're gonna be out here we gotta at least look the part!" Thomas said, turning his back to her and pointing to the 101 on his jumpsuit with his thumb. "Don't tell me you actually find these things comfortable."

"Yes, but that's not the point! You should be more focused things like food, not fashion!"

Simms laughed, getting their attention. "Well, I was gonna ask what you two were doing here, but I think I can guess. If you're after food, try the Brass Lantern in the crater. Clothes you can probably find at Craterside Supply, but be warned... Moira's a bit... well... she's different. I don't know if she'll have any hats like mine, though."

"Aww, man. That sucks... but I'm sure we'll find something." Thomas said, turning to Amata. "What do you say? Should we see what they have to eat out here?"

"Let me ask you something first, Thomas." Amata said, her face and tone turning to one Thomas was very familiar with. The one that suggested she knew something obvious that he didn't. He hated when she got that way, it reminded him of the Overseer. "How do you intend to even _get_ food?"

"Easy." Thomas smirked, reaching into one of the many pockets his jumpsuit had and fishing out his Vault ration book. "I still have this!"

Amata wanted to slap him, but settled for pressing her face against her palm out of frustration. "Thomas... please tell me you're not serious."

"Boy, you try to present that as payment and you'll end up gettin' shot." Simms pointed out.

"Why? What's wrong?" He wondered, looking at both of them and feeling very confused.

Simms sighed. "You really must be fresh out of the vault. Out here in the wastes, people use bottlecaps for tradin'. Your little scraps of paper there aren't worth more than tinder."

"What, seriously? Damn it!" Thomas shoved the ration book back into his pocket. "Okay, so we need bottlecaps. How do we get some of those?"

"Most people scavenge the wastes and sell what they can find, but..." The Sheriff looked over the pair of them and shook his head. "...I think you'd both end up dead trying anything like that."

"We both have training, though. The Vault's educational system is undoubtedly superior to the one out here." Amata said, overlooking the town. "I'm sure we both have talents to offer this place that we can be compensated for."

Simms just stared at her for a moment before turning to Thomas. "She always that wordy?"

"You get used to it." Thomas replied with a shrug, noticing the glare Amata gave him after he said it. "She's got a point, though. I'm sure we can help out the town somehow."

"Hmm..." Simms glanced over his shoulder. "...well, if that Vault trainin' is as grand as the girlie here put it, I might have something you can take care of."

Amata's expression was not a pleasant one after being referred to as a "girlie", but Thomas spoke up before she could. "That's great! What sort of job is it?"

"Come on, I'll show you."

xxx

Thomas stared at the large, egg-shaped object in a puddle of greenish water and scratched his head. "Huh. This thing sorta reminds me of my cereal, only bigger and made of metal." He commented.

"Oh, they have Sugar Bombs in Vaults, too?" Simms wondered, shifting the strap of his rifle.

"You bet, it's my favorite thing for breakfast! I'm glad you know what they are, that means I'll be able to find some out here, too."

"Yep, the Brass Lantern probably has some for sale if you ever get some caps."

"Would you two idiots stop talking about food?" Amata exclaimed, getting their attention. "Don't you understand what the hell you're standing in front of?"

Thomas stared blankly at her for a moment. "A tribute to everyone's favorite breakfast cereal?" Amata shot him a glare and he held up his hands, grinning. "I'm kidding, geez. I'm not dense enough not to know a bomb when I see one. It's probably inactive, what're you getting so worked up about?"

"If it wasn't active, why would the Sheriff tell us about a job and bring us here?" She asked, looking at Simms.

"Sharp girl." Simms nodded. "Actually, I was hoping one of you might know how to disarm the thing."

"You know it's armed... and you built a city around it? Are you out of your freaking mind?" Amata exclaimed.

"Well, I don't _know_ it is. The thing hasn't offered us any trouble but I've been thinking about what could happen if someone was able to set it off. I was hoping one of you might be able to make sure it won't blow up on us." He explained.

"Vault education or not, you seriously think Thomas or I would have the expertise to disarm a nuclear bomb?"

"Well, that's a fair point." Simms admitted. "Didn't think it could hurt to ask though, ya know?"

She scowled at him, temper flaring. "Hurt, no. Win you an award for stupidest question I've ever heard, yes."

Simms glared at her. "Now listen here, girlie-"

A clicking, crackling noise caught their attention and they both looked at Thomas, who was now standing next to the bomb with his ear against the side of it. "Hey, can you hear that? I think it might be active after all."

"You moron, that's not the bomb!" Amata dashed over, grabbing the back of his jumpsuit and pulling him away from it. The noise stopped when his feet left the puddle around the nuke. "That sound was the Geiger-counter in your Pip-Boy, you were getting irradiated!"

"Oh, right. I forgot this had that feature." He glanced at the readout. "Well, it's not that bad. The little bar is barely filled."

"That's not the point! What were you thinking? You can't disarm a nuclear bomb!"

He just shrugged. "I can have a look. In the Vault restaurant the oven was always on the fritz and I kept up repairs on it."

"You cannot seriously be comparing an appliance to a weapon... if you screw something up, it could explode!"

"So would the stove. Same principal, different machine."

"It's a bigger scale, too. All the oven would blast is you and anyone in that room." She gestured to the nuke. "This goes off and the whole town is ash!"

"Okay, okay… I'll leave it alone. Geez." Thomas crossed his arms, glancing at the Brass Lantern. "What do you suggest we do instead to get some food then?"

"We look around for work, obviously." She said. "A travelling bomb squad can't be the only thing this place needs."

"It surely isn't, girlie. Ask around and you're bound to find someone offering you caps for some dirty deed or another, though I'd steer clear of Jericho if I were you." Simms added, before walking between them and heading back to the town gate. "Now if you'll excuse me, I see a shady waster coming into town I need to have a few words with."

Thomas stared after him for a moment, thinking, then turned back to Amata with a grin on his face. "Alright, let's split up and see what we can find!"

Amata scowled. "You're leaving me _alone_ in a place like this? Even though it's _your_ fault I'm stuck outside of the Vault?"

"Oh, don't be like that. This place is like a Vault, just not as cramped." He looked up at the buildings. "Not as well upkept either, but it should be safe enough."

"Bull, you just want a chance to explore the place."

Thomas grinned at her. "Guilty. Really though, can you blame me? We've been cooped up in that Vault our whole lives, why wouldn't you want to see some new sights?"

"If said sights can rip my face off shortly after I see them, I'll pass, thank you very much... but if you're so convinced there's nothing to worry about, fine. Go screw around all you want. As for me, I'm going to actually think ahead, find some caps and try to make sure we don't starve to death out here!" She snapped, before turning on her heel and stalking off.

Thomas stared after her, scratching his head. "Geez, talk about grouchy. Always better to leave her alone when she gets like that." He muttered to himself, before starting in the opposite direction. "I'll show Amata. I bet I can find a way to get just as many caps out here as her!"

xxx

About an hour later, he was getting closer to winning the bet he made with himself more than anyone. Thomas smiled as he hummed along with the tune coming out of his Pip-Boy, watching the resident mechanic go over the gauges.

"Well I'll be, you actually did it! The pressure's back up!" The older man said.

"Told ya I could do it, Walter. I may have technically been the cook back in the Vault, but Stanley showed me enough stuff that I could have easily been working maintenance if it wasn't for the stupid G.O.A.T."

"What are you talkin' about, lad?" He wondered, heading into the back room for a moment.

"Oh, nothing… just idiotic stuff the guy in charge made everyone do." Thomas shrugged. "It's a long story."

"I'll pass then. Even though you got those leaks fixed, I gotta take care of a few other things in here." Walter handed him a small bag and took back the wrench Thomas had borrowed to tighten the pipes around town.

"You sure you don't need a hand? I'd be more than happy to help out around here."

"No, no… I'd have to show you everything and there's no time to do it right now, even if I did have the caps to hire a regular assistant." He explained, going back over some of the gauges. "I'll tell you what though, I'm always looking for scrap metal to keep up the repairs, so if you ever come across any…"

"You'll be the first one to know, and if you ever need another set of hands around here, just let me know."

The older man grinned at him. "Thanks a bunch, Tommy. People like you are far too scarce out in these wastes… though that might be because they don't live very long."

"Now there's a cheery thought." Thomas said, rolling his eyes and walking out the door. "See you around, Walter."

"I hope so, kid."

Letting the door swing shut behind him and pushing the mechanic's last comment out of his mind, he opened the bag and grinned at the caps. Two hundred of the things rested inside, if Walter's offer before he took the job was accurate. Amata would be hard-pressed to beat that. Stowing the money into one of his pockets, he considered going to the Brass Lantern for food, but decided his friend might be upset if he had lunch without her.

There was no telling where she had gotten to by now, but looking for her so soon didn't sound like a very safe idea. Judging by the mood she was in before, she'd be fuming for another hour or so. Which gave him plenty of time to finally take care of the one thing that had been tormenting him for most of his life; his jumpsuit. Remembering the place Simms had mentioned, he made his way straight to Craterside Supply.

Thomas was barely two steps into the shop when he came to a sudden stop, noticing a vaguely humanoid machine almost as tall as him in the way. The glass where its face would have been flashed and a robotic voice greeted him. "Howdy, partner."

"Um… howdy." He replied, giving it a little wave and finding himself reminded of Andy back in the Vault. Maybe they used robots for daily chores in the wastes too. "Are you the one that runs this place?"

"Welcome to Megaton, friendliest town around." It said in the same mechanical drone.

"Okay, I'm guessing not." Thomas muttered, retracting his last thought. It may have been a robot, but it obviously wasn't as advanced as Andy… or as unstable.

"Thirsty, partner? Try Moriar… ar… ar-ar-ar-r-r-r-r."

Thomas blinked as the repeating "r" built into a high-pitched screech, the robot's light flickered rapidly and smoke began to rise from its torso. Something on its back exploded, clattering across the floor and robot toppled over, its head popping off with a blast when it hit the ground and its voice dying. Staring at the collapsed robot, he began to wonder if Walter could use it for scrap before a woman spoke up.

"Oh, dear… looks like our Deputy Weld lost his head again. And here I thought I had screwed it on tight enough this time."

Looking up, Thomas noticed the speaker as she came through the doorway into the back room. Her overalls, face and hands were covered in grease and her dark hair was tied back in a rough knot.

She smiled at him. "Hey there! You didn't get hit by anything did you? Weld does like to go out with a bang and he's not always polite enough to watch where his shrapnel flies."

"I'm alright… sorry about your robot blowing up."

"Oh, don't let it worry you for a second, it's not like you made him short circuit. Sometimes I think he gets bored with being on gate duty all the time and malfunctions just to spend more time with me." She said brightly, and Thomas couldn't tell if she was joking around or actually believed it. "Jack, would you mind taking the Deputy to the back? We can't have customers tripping over him!"

A grunt answered her, and Thomas noticed the man just as he pushed himself away from the wall, scowling. "Stupid machine. Don't see why Simms don't just replace the hunk of junk." He complained, glaring at Thomas before grabbing one of Weld's legs and beginning to drag him into the back room.

"Thanks a bunch! I don't know what I'd do without you!" The guard just grumbled curses under his breath and the shopkeeper turned her attention back to Thomas, smile never wavering. "Don't mind Jack, he puts on a tough face but he's a big softie once you get to know him. Anyway, you're new in town, right? I'm Moira Brown, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too." Thomas mumbled, watching as Jack came back out front to collect the robot's head. "Do you have any clothes for sale?"

"Of course!" Moira ducked behind the counter and Thomas heard her shuffling through something. "Clothes, armor, weapons, garbage… anything I can get my hands on! You never know what people are going to ask for, or what might work well in an experiment!"

"Experiment?" He wondered, leaning over to see what she was doing and almost getting head-butted when she suddenly stood back up.

"Well, yes! I may own the general store, but that's really more of a side-job for funding my projects to help make the wasteland a better place!" She dropped a crate with various pieces of crumpled cloth and bits of metal sticking out of it onto the countertop. "I've made a lot, from rebuilding things that could be used for town defense like our Deputy Weld, to things that help wasters get by day-to-day like my infamous Mutfruit Sunrise Slammer! I'll make you one to try sometime if you like; Moriarty refuses to sell them anymore for some reason."

"Uh… sure, but I'm just looking for a new outfit right now."

"I see." Moira muttered thoughtfully, looking at his jumpsuit. "Fresh out of the Vault?"

He nodded, poking through the box she had set on the counter.

"Ohh, how exciting this must be for you!" She said, leaning down into his view. "What was it like living in a Vault? Dark? Cramped? Did the food suck?"

Thomas blinked at her, wondering if the woman was always this hyper. "It… wasn't too bad, I guess. The Overseer was a prick, but aside from that I had a decent job as a cook and spent most of my free time beating the crap out of these tough-guy wannabes that called themselves the Tunnel Snakes." He said with a chuckle, then an image of Butch on the ground with a broken neck flashed through his mind. Quickly bringing a hand to his mouth and leaning against the counter, his stomach twisted at the memory.

"Hey, you alright?" Moira asked, genuine concern in her voice.

"Not at all…" Thomas muttered, turning and making his way to the door before he puked his guts out onto the shop floor.

Once outside, he leaned against the railing and tried to steady his breathing. A next to impossible task since the thought of Butch's corpse wouldn't leave his mind. He'd never even considered killing someone before. Breaking a limb or two, sure, but not outright murder. Yet without even thinking about it he'd swung right at the fool's head. Not his leg or stomach to disable, but right at his fucking temple. Thomas dropped to his knees and let his arms hang limply over the rail, using all the strength he had just to keep himself from throwing up from the thought that, on some level, he really did want to kill Butch.

"You look like shit, kid." A voice behind him commented. "You drink something that crazy chick made?"

Thomas tilted his head a bit, looking over his shoulder at the eye-patched man and groaned a wordless reply.

The man just shook his head, grinning. "Dunno if that was a yes or a no, but I think it's a safe bet the cure's the same either way. Come on, kid." He grabbed the back of Thomas' collar and started to drag him along. "Legs, Tom! Use 'em!" He snapped after a few steps.

Grunting and getting himself free from the stranger's grasp, Thomas steadied himself against the side of a building. "How'd you know my name?" He asked, trying to keep pace with the man.

"I was near the bomb when your girlfriend was havin' her little episode. Pair of ya looked greener than anything else you'd find in the wastes." He said, slowing so Thomas could keep up.

"Oh… yeah, Amata gets kinda loud when she's upset or freaked out."

"No kiddin'. Even when he gets really going on his sermons, Cromwell doesn't come anywhere near that pitch." The man laughed. "Anyway, about why I came to find you… to be honest, when I look at you I see an easy target. I'm sure everyone else does too, but they'd rather take advantage of you without you knowing it."

"And you don't want to?" Thomas wondered.

"You kiddin'? I'm low on caps and you're a fresh face in the wastes. I'm not one to pass up a golden opportunity, but I'm not as good at the subtle bullshit. I figure I'll just proposition you straight up." He stopped, turning to face Thomas. "Here's the deal, Tommy boy. Being all safe and cozy in that Vault of yours, I'd bet my lucky revolver you know next to shit about using that piece on your side. For a few caps, I'll give you the basic rundown on upkeep and shooting. How about it?"

"I don't really have that many caps yet, so…"

"No worries, Tom." The man said with a dismissive wave. "I'll be around whenever you get 'em and decide to learn a thing or two before getting your head blown off by some Raider asshole. Just fifty caps a lesson when you're interested."

"I'll keep it in mind... um..."

"Name's Billy Creel, and this here is the place for the pick-me-up you obviously need." He said, gesturing to the sign on the building before heading inside.

Thomas looked up at where "Moriarty's Saloon" was written before following and wondering if he should tell Billy he'd never drank anything alcoholic before.

xxx

Hesitating as he stepped into the saloon, Thomas glanced around at the other patrons. A blonde woman was sitting at the table nearest to the door, focused on writing something. Billy had gone over to a red-haired woman leaning against the wall and starting to talk with her. In the far corner was a man in a fancy suit and hat, leaning over and speaking to a man in what looked to be some kind of battered leather armor. The armored man adjusted his sunglasses and shook his head, taking a hit from the bottle in his hand before answering the man in an equally hushed voice.

Thomas took a seat on the closest barstool and leaned against the counter, wondering where the person tending it was. If it had been the Vault, someone would have given him hell about leaving hungry customers unattended. The redhead that Billy had been talking to casually stepped behind the counter and smiled at him.

"Hey there, sweetie, I'm Nova. Always nice to see a fresh face around here. What can I get you?"

Billy cut in before Thomas could even open his mouth. "The face he was makin' when I peeled him off the ground was one only a good bottle of whiskey could cure."

"Oh please, you're just trying to get the kid drunk and take him for all he's worth." Someone said. Thomas glanced over his shoulder at the blonde woman by the door, who was giving Billy a stern look.

"C'mon Lucy, you really think that bad of me?" He asked with a grin.

"You don't want me to answer that." She turned her attention to Thomas. "Be careful who you trust out here, kid. Some wasters would chat with you one minute and shoot you in the back the next. Others wouldn't even bother with the talk."

_First Walter now this woman... does everyone out here have such a bleak outlook on life?_ Thomas wondered, giving her a weak smile. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

"Nova, give him a Nuka-Cola, on Creel's tab of course." Billy started to protest, but Lucy cut him off. "You brought him here, it's only polite for you to buy the first round."

Scowling at her for a moment, Billy shook his head. "Fine, I can live with that... but the next one's on you, Tommy."

"Sure." Thomas thanked Nova as she set the bottle in front of him and walked back to her spot against the wall, Billy following her. Taking a sip of the cola, one of the men in the far corner caught his attention. His voice raised just enough to hear.

"You're out of your fucking mind, Burke!"

"Keep it down. Why do you care, anyway? It's not like you live here, these people mean nothing to you." Thomas turned his head a little to see who was speaking, it was the man in the suit. "Do this and you're set for the rest of your life, no strings attached."

"I may not think much of killing people in the wastes, but that's for survival. Blowing up a town is just insanity. There are children living here for crying out loud! I've met Raiders with a better sense of ethics than you!" The other man grabbed the sniper rifle that had been leaning against the wall by his chair and stood up. "Go to hell, you sick fuck." He growled as he stalked out of the saloon.

"I'll see you there, Mr. Warrick." Burke called out behind him, grinning and settling back in his chair.

Thomas focused on his drink, trying to wrap his head around what he'd just overheard. The other man, Warrick apparently, had said something about blowing up the town... but how? Staring at the bottle in front of him, the label quickly reminded him of the nuke sitting in the center of Megaton, and his throat went dry at the thought. After gulping down the rest of his Nuka-Cola, he got up and headed for the door.

xxx

Amata tapped her fingers on the desktop, reading through the papers scattered about it and wishing that she hadn't opened her mouth in the first place. Thomas occasionally used to tell her that she should think before speaking, and she always suggested he do the same before acting as a reply. Now she was wishing she had taken his advice.

_It almost feels like I'm back in the Vault, going through all this..._ She glanced up at the rusty walls and the man by the door watching her carefully. _...almost._

"Well? How does it look?" The man asked.

"Like total chaos, Andy." She said plainly. "Honestly, I don't know why you keep these in a filing cabinet if you're not even going to organize them properly."

His expression soured. "I can't help it, I'm not used to keeping records like this. It was easier when everything set up on a computer, but it stopped working right a month ago."

Frowning down at the papers, Amata picked up one she had been making notes on. "I can understand that, I suppose. Even in the Vault we almost never kept paper records apart from a few things." She got up, offering him the paper. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but according to what I could find in this mess, you were right about profits coming up short."

Sighing, Andy looked over her notes. "Yeah, you've come up with almost the same figure I did. Damn it!" Crumpling up the paper, he pitched it across the room. "I didn't want to believe it, but Leo must be skimming from the profits again. I thought he... damn it..." He stomped over to a chair by the wall and slumped down into it.

"He's done this before?" Amata wondered, glancing at the computer in the corner.

"Yeah, I caught him in the act then. Watched him as close as I could for a little while after that, and started double-checking this sort of thing." He gestured to the paper-strewn table. "I thought he'd have stopped but... I just don't know what to do with him. I can't fire the guy, he's my only Brother! Honestly, I'm worried less about the loss of caps and more about what he's using them for! I... I just..."

Sitting down in front of the computer and switching it on, Amata's thoughts drifted to her Father. She took a shaky breath, trying to keep her voice level and doing a poor job of it as she went on. "I understand, Andy... about having a relative that can be infuriating at times. As crazy as they can make you, it's impossible to not love them. Especially if they're all you have."

"Yeah... exactly." They sat in silence apart from the tapping of a keyboard for a few minutes, until Andy had his thoughts together enough to see where she was. "What are you doing?"

"Done." Amata stood back up and went back to the papers, starting to sort through them. "The computer's fixed, but I'll leave inputting all this to you, okay?"

"It's..." Looking from her to the terminal and back, his mouth fell open. "You fixed it? That fast?"

"A minor glitch, nothing major. If it happens again, let me know and I can show you how to fix it yourself." Working the papers into a neat stack, she carried them over to the computer before crossing her arms and turning to him. "Now if that's all you need, I really should be finding Thomas. You'd be surprised how much trouble he could cause in the Vault in a couple hours, out here though... I shudder at the thought of what he could stir up."

"Oh, sure. One second." Andy got up and hurried into the next room. He returned a moment later with a small bag, pushing it into her hands before she could ask what it was. "Fifty caps. It's not as much as you deserve for the help, but... well, you've seen my recent profits."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. This will be a big help until we can get used to life out here." She stowed the caps in her pocket and smiled at him. "Thanks, Andy. I hope you're able to work things out with Leo."

Andy's expression turned strained for a moment, as if he was having very conflicted thoughts about something. "Amata... what would you say if I offered you a job?"

Taken off guard, it took her a moment to answer. "I'd say you're too generous for your own good. Seriously Andy, are you trying to go broke?"

"It's just... look, stop by tomorrow. Please. We can talk about it then."

Amata sighed at his insistence, but nodded. "Okay, but just to talk about it. I'll see you later, Andy." She said, making her way to the door.

Once she stepped outside, she saw a large crowd gathered around the supposedly dormant nuclear bomb and wondered what the commotion was about. Then she noticed the fool sitting on top of it.

"Thomas, what the hell do you think you're doing?" She screamed, the crowd turning and quickly parting as she stormed toward the nuke.

He glanced at her for a second and grinned. "What does it look like? I'm making sure it's busted."

"Are you insane? What if it goes off?"

"Stop him, he is defiling our holy relic!" A man in the crowd shouted, but went ignored by both of them.

Thomas returned his attention to the opening he had made in it by prying off a panel and frowned. "I don't have a choice, Amata. Besides, I'm just making sure the thing is broken. That's easy."

"Easy!" Amata cried, shaking with a blend of fear at what could happen and rage at his simple-mindedness. "You don't know anything about bombs! How is that easy?"

"There's a universal way to break anything, Amata."

"You'd better not say what I think you're going to say..."

"By taking a close look at the inner workings, finding what looks important..." Thomas reached into his jumpsuit and took out a hammer. "...then smashing it to pieces."

The entire crowd shouted for him to stop as he raised the tool and brought it down on something inside the opening. Pounding at it a few times, he reached in and yanked out a few pieces of scrap, followed by a fist-sized part that he discarded into the water around the bomb.

"That should do... it... huh?" Thomas leaned down and stared in the hole for a couple seconds, his face going pale.

The people went quiet and Amata took a nervous step closer. "Is something wrong?"

"It's making some kind of noise."

Amata felt her blood run cold. "Does that mean..."

Thomas looked at her and chuckled nervously. "I think... I may have accidentally activated it."

"You idiot!" Amata cried as the other settlers quickly backed away as if a few feet would save them from the impending explosion. "Fix it!"

"I _did_ fix it! That's the problem!" Thomas yelled back, reaching into the opening.

"Then unfix it! Damn it Thomas, we didn't survive that insanity in the Vault just to be vaporized by an age-old nuclear weapon six hours later!"

"No kidding!" Groping about the inside and pulling on anything he could wrap his fingers around, Thomas listened as the steady beeping it was making sped up, until it reached the point that reminded him of one of his Father's medical devices, namely the one that reacted to heartbeats. It sounded like a flatline.

The bomb was practically telling everyone there what he was already sure of... they were as good as dead.


End file.
